 Like Citizen Kane, starts with radio-like narration by Welles

 Set in earlier times (horse and buggy time)

 Talking about different fashions throughout time
 Mr. Morgan brings flowers to Isabel Amberson, she doesn’t want to see him
 Isabel Anderson pretty but angry at Mr. Morgan, going with Wilbur
 Mrs. Foster talking to other ladies about Isabel and Wilbur,
 Isabel and Wilbur had only 1 kid
 Mrs. Foster, town gossip?
 The one child is spoiled little boy, George, dressed as a lord (looks like girl)
 George has a fight with boy—he ends up on top of him, hits his dad
 Ball held for George, mostly older people—parents friends?
 Ms. Lucy Morgan comes, George takes her to the dance floor—pretty
 Lucy and George talk, he doesn’t seem so rude, he asks if she’s engaged, she says
her father knew lots of people but they’ve lived all over, he’s an inventor,
working on an automobile
 George had been insulting Mr. Morgan all evening before realizing he’s Lucy’s
father
 George wants to go out with Lucy, Mr. Morgan dances with Isabel
 George says she’ll be ready to go at ten minutes after 2 for a sleigh ride, she
says no he says yes, she shyly says yes
 George confronts Wilbur about Eugene Morgan borrowing money from his
(George) rich grandpa
 George sees his dad doesn’t like Mr. Morgan
 George asks his aunt Fanny why, she says Isabel wants to have a dinner for
Mr. Morgan and Lucy
 George doesn’t like Mr. Morgan
 Mr. Morgan’s car breaks down in the snow, he gets it to start, Lucy and
George are on sleigh ride, they say to get a horse, they role out of carriage,
down hill, and kiss, they’re parents see they’re okay, obsessive parents, they
all pile into car
 George hates the idea of pushing the car to get it going, does it, breathes in
exhaust, everyone laughing at him, just as he climbs on, it stops
 Everyone saying “Georgie” treating him like a child
 Someone singing in background, George coughing, get car started
 As car drives away with people singing, iris out
 Shadow of person walking up to closed door and taking off hat, Isabel’s butler
lets Lucy and Mr. Morgan in, music starts when door opens ends when it
closes
 Everyone walking by, viewing body, audience doesn’t see only line and black
clothes and somber occasion
 Wilbur is dead, said to be a “quiet man. Town will hardly know he’s gone”
 Aunt fanny serves George, they talk
 George makes Aunt Fanny cry
 George and other guy (uncle jack) talk about Aunt Fanny’s sad life)
 Morgan show off his car invention, original and new one, Lucy likes Isabel
and Isabel’s relationship with Morgan
 Isabel and Eugene are romantically involved? Talk about telling Jack—who is
Jack?
 Lucy has already refused one proposal from George, refuses to be engaged
for years,
 Lucy starts to cry when George talks about marrying her, she says its because
his life—and what her place in it would be—are so unsure
 Lucy shares her fathers idea and thinks George is wasting his life
 Someone else opening a car shop, challenging Eugene, other people resist
cars, George says automobiles are nothing but a useless nuisances
o Eugene says “with all their power forward, they may be a step
backwards for mankind”
 Isabel says “georgie dear, what did you mean” still talking to him like he’s a
chld, says she knows Eugene and that’s how she knows he’s hurt
 Man chastises George for trying to win Lucy by insulting her father, Aunt
Fanny agrees with George but chastising George for how he treats her
 Fanny says people are talking about Isabel, and that’s why he was hard on
Eugene and she’s sorry for him, why? She says he’d throw Lucy in a moment
to protect mother’s reputation. Why? Sexual activity between Isabel and
Morgan? Says Eugene and Isabel had been engaged, and Fanny was involved
with Morgan?
 People are saying Eugene and Isabel were involved before Wilbur died
 George is very upset and angry
 George goes to talk to Isabel’s friend, doesn’t work
 Uncle Jack (Isabel’s brother) live with them, Isabel and Jack are Ambersons,
their dad has the money, they all live together in one mansion, he doesn’t see
why she shouldn’t marry Morgan, George upset.
 Lots of doors in this movie—big, double doors, with people seen through
glass and big doorknobs and keyholes
 George tells Eugene he cant see his mother, says she doesn’t want to see Mr.
Morgan and shuts door in his face
 George is used to being the center of Isabel’s universe
 Fanny seems to appear in a number of unlikely places, just when she’s
needed, real gossip, George tries to send her back to her room, she refuses
 Fanny says George is spoiled and not thinking about anyone but himself
 Eugene proposes to Isabel, she has said maybe. Eugene asks if she’s strong
enough to resist George and her maternal isntincts
 Isabel tries to sell George on Eugene, she doesn’t care what people say,
George does, “Georgie” is angry and hurt and feels she’s not living up to her
Amberson name,
 Tender moment, they ambrace, Isabel decids its best if she and Eugene wait
 Lucy and George meet—time seems to have passed, Lucy had been away, she
says they had to quit playing
 George says he’s going away, indefinitely
 He says he’ll never see her again, he and mother are taking a trip around the
world tomorrow, no plans to come back, she seems excited for him, he’s
upset she wont miss him, takes off hat, says goodbye, and walks away, turns,
says goodbye, she cheerfully says goodbye, looks on sadly as he leaves
 Lucy goes to drugstore for medication, collapsed
 Jack says Isabel isnt doing so well, should be in wheelchair, Eugene asks
calmly but concernedly what’s wrong
 Says Georgie should let Isabel come home. LET.
 Isabel and George return, she’s not in good health
 Eugene comes to see Isabel sick, George say no, he inisists, Fanny comes
down crying, says no, Jack says to come back later
 Nurse lets George in to see Isabel, sick in bed, she’s still asking “darling” if he
had something to eat, and is he sure he didn’t catch cold coming home, he
reassures her he’s alright
 Isabel wonders if Eugene has asked about her, George says yes, he was here,
she asks if he had gone, he said yes, she’s disappointed, she wanted to see
Eugene just once more
 Isabel dies, Fanny reassures Georg that Isabel “loved” him
 Isabel and Jack’s father, Major Amberson on screen, old
 Dissolve out of image and sound of Mr. Amberson
 Jack and George talking, Jack aknowleges George as spolit and should be
hanged, jack elaves on trains, promises to send money when he’s paid.
 Lucy and Eugene walking and talking about Indian history
 Lucy doesn’t want to marry, wants to be with nature and God
 George doesn’t like Fannys idea of turning mansion into boarding house, she
reveals she put all her money into a company that went bankrupt, she only
has $28
 Fanny histerical, doesn’t care
 George needs money fast, goes to look for a dangeros job that pays well
 More narration, George’s last walk home, tomorrow, would leave ont, black
screen, becomes head—movie started with narration over black screen
 George had finally gotten the comeuppance that everyone wanted when he
was a boy, but no one cared, people had either died or forgotten about him
 George taken away in ambulance, hurt in car crash, Automobile accidents
increasing
 Lucy wants to go to George
 Eugene and Fanny walk and talk in house, smile, happy, friends, Eugene says
George looks like Isabel
 George finally grew up and was the kind of person Lucy could admire, asks
forgiveness from Eugene, thinks he helped George and so was finally true to
his true love Isabel
 Voice over credits by Welles